Hierarchical supermolecular structures for sustained drug release

Abstract

The hierarchical supermolecular structures for sustained drug release with the fiber-shaped block copolymer from the self assembly of stereoregular amphiphilic block copolymer mixtures with pacitaxel a well known anticancer drug. The PEG-b-PDLA/PEG-b-PLLA stereoblock copolymer mixture with a 10k-PLA block length offered the most favorable environment to encapsulate paclitaxel at the molecular level. The block copolymer to be used in experiment was synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization of lactide monomers using monomethoxy hydroxyl PEG as a microinitiator governed by the optical purity of lactide monomers. The experiment resulted that the paclitaxel-loaded block-copolymer complexes possess a PEG shell, exhibiting a stable sustained release of paclitaxel under the simulated physiological conditions in clinical application for localized drug delivery.